Feast in the Field
Creative Living
by Jen Pinkston
While I’ve lived in Texas most of my life, much of that time has been spent in or near Austin. I’m a city girl through and through, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate time outside of the city. Whether it’s a long weekend in Marfa or a small town on a river, a slower pace and wide open spaces really are the reset I need.
If you found yourself in Round Top this past March, you might have happened upon our pop-up shop at Bader Ranch. One warm evening, after embroidering shirts, selling sleepwear, and meeting so many of you in person, we jumped in the car and followed the two-lane road that cuts through Round Top up to Rancho Pillow, Sheila Youngblood’s 20-acre motel property that manages to sit comfortably at the intersection of chic design and Texas forever for her seasonal event, Feast in the Field.
We weren’t the only ones. A line of cars filled with fellow sojourners snaked around the bend and through the front gate, following the pillar of smoke coming up from the open-air flame where food was being prepared to a field that, 24 hours prior, had been soggy from spring rain. Only a Texas sun could cure a potential hazard like that one in such a short time.
As the sun set, the temperature cooled, and guests began to layer Mexican serape blankets with their carefully selected ensembles that included vintage belts, embroidered dresses, and no shortage of high-end hats and bespoke boots. As one friend pointed out, “You can’t swing a cat in Round Top without hitting a quilt coat.”
Long communal tables were set beneath banner rows of vintage scarves that never ceased moving with the evening breeze, and a bartender shook margaritas nearby. Conversation was easy to come by, and soon there were few strangers left in the field.
Just after the first course of whipped feta and warm arepas, Sheila, clad in her signature style of caftan and thick-framed glasses, took to the field to introduce the evening’s chef, Venezuelan-born, Los Angeles-based Karla Subero Pittol of Chainsaw.
The courses that followed were a blur of slow-roasted vegetables and smoky meats paired with wood-fired flatbread and herb-filled sauces. Dish after dish surprised and delighted, so much so that we were greeted by the occasional june bug trying to get in on the action.
We ended the evening with an extra slice of passionfruit pie, carefully packed in a to-go box and tucked under one arm, and a knowing that we would be back the next chance we could.
